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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
reflective
medium-paced
This is my first introduction to Joyce Carol Oates and it was brilliant. One of the poems in particular titled: Edward Hopper’s “Eleven A.M., 1926” is named for the painting and it is the most realistic and true way I’ve seen anyone write about that feeling.
dark
informative
Adult
Nonfiction
Poetry collection
4 stars
I’m not sure if I’ve ever read anything by Oates in my life and it’s a name I’ve seen on books and whatnot for decades but I didn’t know what I was going into with this one.
These poems include heinous bits of American history, some so disturbing that I had to put my e-reader down temporarily to either look up the full story behind the poem or because the content was so shocking and discomforting that I needed a moment before continuing. Topics include psychological experiments with babies and animals, abortion, war, and more.
Nonfiction
Poetry collection
4 stars
I’m not sure if I’ve ever read anything by Oates in my life and it’s a name I’ve seen on books and whatnot for decades but I didn’t know what I was going into with this one.
These poems include heinous bits of American history, some so disturbing that I had to put my e-reader down temporarily to either look up the full story behind the poem or because the content was so shocking and discomforting that I needed a moment before continuing. Topics include psychological experiments with babies and animals, abortion, war, and more.
Another solid collection from JCO, this one felt more modern than some of her others.
We discuss this further over on Howe's Things:
https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/poetry-month-phillis-wheatley
We discuss this further over on Howe's Things:
https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/poetry-month-phillis-wheatley
I was excited to receive this book as a giveaway. Because it was a giveaway I feel I should write a review, even though I almost never read poetry. The piece that has powerfully stuck with me is “American Sign Language” about the Tamil Rice killing. Then there is this: “I hate this having to pay such rapt attention to the bullies and thugs”. She is writing about WWII but I am thinking about the ugliness of the last four years. The collection is appropriately titled - certainly not lighthearted but often profound.
dark
sad
My first poetry collection by Joyce Carol Oates. Knowing the author is from Lockport, NY also adds some extra layers understanding what the greater Buffalo area is like.
The rumination on the girl in the painting (Edward Hopper's Eleven AM, 1926) is so good and taps into my love for art interpretation. Art about art, what's not to love.
My other favorites were To Marlon Brando in Hell (sharp critique of his life), Doctor Help Me (abortion rights), Hometown Waiting For You (the gravitational force of your hometown) and Harvesting Skin (human rights violations in China).
The rumination on the girl in the painting (Edward Hopper's Eleven AM, 1926) is so good and taps into my love for art interpretation. Art about art, what's not to love.
My other favorites were To Marlon Brando in Hell (sharp critique of his life), Doctor Help Me (abortion rights), Hometown Waiting For You (the gravitational force of your hometown) and Harvesting Skin (human rights violations in China).
“Old America has come home to die.”
This is my first poetry collection from Joyce Carol Oates and there were some lovely pieces in here.
This read also came at a surprisingly poignant time for me as I just finished watching The Zone of Interest yesterday (beautifully sad film). Her poems that were centered around the Holocaust hit a little extra hard today on the back of such a tough watch.
This is my first poetry collection from Joyce Carol Oates and there were some lovely pieces in here.
This read also came at a surprisingly poignant time for me as I just finished watching The Zone of Interest yesterday (beautifully sad film). Her poems that were centered around the Holocaust hit a little extra hard today on the back of such a tough watch.
Poems mostly about America, and digging into painful subjects like the scientific torture of animals and psychological torment of humans; the lost beauty and potential of Marlon Brando; the reasoning behind abortion; the brutal seeming necessity of pain in order to create beauty; and the hospice death of a husband. These poems are sad but beautiful.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
Quick, gripping read. Poems that flow off the pages. Thought provoking. Will return to read and study again.
I submit to you that these poems are actually flash fiction and abbreviated essays.